light mode
night mode
English for Today
Unit One: Father of the Nation Bangabandhu's Family in 1971 The Tale of Homecoming Bangabandhu at the UN Bangabandhu's Relationship with other countries Unit Two: Pastimes Have You Any Favourite Pastime? Reading Really Helps Change in Pastime Change in Pastimes in Bangladesh Pastimes Vary Unit Three: Events and Festivals Mother's Day May Day International Mother Language Day - 1 International Mother Language Day - 2 Independence Day Pahela Baishakh Unit Four: Are We Aware? The Ferry Boat Are We Too Many? Our Food and Shelter The Story of Lipi Let's become skilled workforce Unit Five: Nature and Environment The Greed of the Mighty Rivers Environmental Pollution Man and Climate Putting Our Fish In Hot Water A Friend of The Earth Unit Six: Our Neighbors Nepal, The Land of Everest Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean The Maldives India: Unity In Diversity Bhutan: The Land of Happiness Unit Seven: People Who Stand Out Zainul Abedin, The Great Artist The Art Of Silence The Beginning Love For Humanity Love For Humanity The wizard of Apple Job's Childhood Unit Eight: World Heritage The Shat Gambuj Mosque The Somapura Mahavihara The Statue of Liberty Lake Baikal Unit Nine: Unconventional Jobs Jobs That People Do Weired jobs Around Floral Career Unit Ten: Dreams Have a Dream What I Dream to be They Had Dreams (Part- 1) They Had Dreams (Part- 2) Unit Eleven: Renewable Energy Renewable Energy Sources (Part 1) Renewable Energy Sources (Part 2) Unit Twelve: Roots My Roots My Roots 2 The Return Of the Native In Search Of Identity Unit Thirteen: Media and Modes of E-communication Media and Modes Of E-Communication Social Network Sevices E- Learning Unit Fourteen: Pleasure and Purpose Books Two Mothers Remembered The Sands Of Dee Time, You Old Gipsy Man Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The Purple Jar (Part -1) The Purple Jar (Part -2) The Purple Jar (Part -3) A Pond of Flesh The Three Caskets The Trial

Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

নবম-দশম শ্রেণি (দাখিল) - English for Today - Unit Six: Our Neighbors | | NCTB BOOK

A. Look at the picture. Ask and answer the following questions in pair.
1 What is the name of the country?
2 What is the country surrounded by?
3 What do you know about the country?

B. Now read the following passage to find your answers to the questions in A.
a.  Anyone visiting Sri Lanka may often hear the word Ayubowan. This word means 'May you have the gift of long life'. It is with this traditional greeting that everyone is welcomed to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is variously known as: Serendip, Ceylon, Teardrop of India, Pearl of the Indian Ocean, etc. These names reveal the richness and beauty of this island nation. Many travellers, from ancient mariners and merchants to present day tourists, have been attracted by the beauty of this island.

b. Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean, just off the south-eastern coast of India. Shaped like a teardrop, the island of Sri Lanka measures from about 415 kilometers north to south, and about 220 kilometers with from east to west, a total land area of about 65,600 square kilometers. It more than coastline. has 1340 kilometers of

c. Despite its modest size Sri Lanka has a population of about 20 million. Sri Lanka is a multi- religious, multi-racial and multi- lingual country. The four major ethnic groups are the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils and Sri Lankan Moors or Muslims. A fifth group, the Veddhas are the original inhabitants of the island. The ancient history of Sri Lanka is depicted in the Hindu epic the Ramayana and in the Mahavamsa or 'The Great Chronicle'.

d. Sri Lanka's economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. The emphasis is on exporting crops such as tea, rubber, and coconuts. In fact, Sri Lanka is the largest tea exporter of the world. The country is also a major producer and supplier of a variety of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, cloves, and nutmeg. Cinnamon first originated in Sri Lanka and was introduced later to the world by the Arab merchants.

e. Sri Lanka's archaeological treasures may be compared to other civilizations of the past like the Golden Age of Greece, the Roman Empire and Mayan citadels. The culture has been influenced by the western colonisers and eastern traders. That resulted in developing a unique mix of races and religions, arts and crafts, festivals and costumes in this small country.
Besides the man-made riches, one may find the God-given blessings of nature in Sri Lanka. The island is circled by azure seas and is blessed with sandy beaches, green hills, cascading waterfalls, abundant wildlife and a variety of flowers and fruits. The country abounds with coconut groves, spice gardens, tea estates and many other gardens and woods. Travellers from all over the world come to Sri Lanka. Here, a weary traveller can pass a relaxing day by a palm-shaded lagoon looking at the endless ocean. And for the adventurous, days can be full of excitement snorkelling, swimming, fishing or sailing.

 

C. From your reading of the above text complete the table with no more than two words and/or numbers.

                                                                                                                      Sri Lanka: Facts

People Economy Natural beauty
There are...............
four main ethnic
groups. They are
Sinhalese, Sri Lankan
Tamils,............. and Sri Lankan Moors who are also known as.............. The earliest residents of Sri Lanka are known as..............		 Agriculture is a traditional form of economic activity in Sri Lanka. The country exports many crops and................ Sri Lanka tops the world in tea export.
The spice.................... was found first in Sri Lanka.		 Sri Lanka is blessed with awesome natural beauty. There are blue seas, sandy beaches, green hills, and flowing.................. The country has a very rich wild life. A wide variety of fruits and.................... are also available there. Traveller can enjoy the.................. view sitting by the palm shaded lagoons.
 


D. The passage in B has six paragraphs (a-f). Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs (a-f) from the list of headings below. There are more headings in the box than the paragraphs, so you will not use all of them.

List of headings

  1. A beautiful island with natural richness
  2. Teardrop of India
  3. Geographical features
  4.  A rich multicultural setting
  5. Some religious groups of Sri Lanka
  6. A traditional economy
  7. The land of cinnamon
  8. A melting pot of the past civilizations
  9. Tourist attractions and leisure activities
  10. A country with beautiful beache.

 

E. Read the brief descriptions of some of the best tourist places in Sri Lanka. Then discuss the questions that follow.
 

Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka. The old city is today surrounded by monasteries, covering an area of over sixteen square miles. The city is also significant in Hindu legend as the capital of King Ravana.

Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park is one of Sri Lanka's leading destinations for birdwatchers. The park is also home to large populations of elephants, crocodiles, turtles and leopards.


Hikkaduwa-Coral reef & sandy beaches
Hikkaduwa is a little town on the south coast of Sri Lanka. It is well-known for its beach and corals. It is principally a tourist destination, and serves as a great beach with options to surf, snorkel and enjoy the sun,

Dambulla
Major attractions of this city include the biggest and greatest potted cave temple complex of Sri Lanka. It is also famous for the Rangiri Dambulla Global Stadium, which was built in just 167 days. The city also boasts of the biggest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia and the iron wood forest.

Now discuss the following questions in pairs.
1. Which of the following tourist places do you like to visit?
• Places with beaches
• Places of historical importance
• Places that preserve wildlife
Explain why you like such a place.

2. If you are given an offer to visit any two of the four Sri Lankan cities.

above, which two cities will you choose. Explain why.

 

F. Write a paragraph on some of the interesting places to visit in Sri Lanks. Use your own words and the information given in section E.

 

Content added || updated By
Md Arafat ali

Read more

Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

or

Don't have an account? Register

Promotion